THE DREAMERS NIGHTMARE

4 The Traitors

Eros sat in his lab, a commanding figure in his chair, as Kaito, his assistant, entered the room with news.

"Sir Eros, I have good news for you," Kaito announced.

"You better be sure that it's good," Eros replied, his tone carrying a demanding authority.

"Two days ago, one of our watchers saw a boy who acted so normal, and he suspected that he's one of those 21. That's why he kept on looking for him," Kaito explained.

"And then, did he find him?" Eros inquired, a spark of interest in his eyes.

"Earlier, sir, they heard a gunshot, and when they followed it, they saw a dead body of a boy on the road. The watcher who saw the suspected guy two days ago confirmed that the dead body was the boy he was looking for. However, our watchers said that none of them killed that boy," Kaito detailed.

"Interesting," Eros mused, a sly smile playing on his lips. "I think our watchers are stating the truth. Maybe the one who killed him is also from those 21. I think someone betrayed him because they're afraid that if they didn't kill him, they would be in danger too. What a fun betraying game of theirs. It's amusing," Eros said, finding delight in the complexities of their twisted survival game.

The next morning, Eros made his way to the announcement center of the city to address the residents.

"Guess what," he paused for dramatic effect, "There's only 20 of you right now. One down. It's sad because my watchers are not the culprit. Maybe one of you betrayed your member, isn't it? What a life of survival, isn't it fun?" he declared, the sinister amusement evident in his laughter.

Mark still grappled with the disbelief of Haechan's demise. He couldn't shake the feeling that he should have done more, saved him somehow. The weight of the loss pressed heavily on his shoulders, a burden that seemed insurmountable.

The next morning, the resonance of the alarm from the speakers permeated the air. Though they were outside the walls, the small microphone they had strategically placed in the woods connected to the speaker in their house allowed them to hear Eros's announcements. Reluctantly, Mark and the remaining members gathered to listen, a somber anticipation settling over them. The voice of Eros, a sinister presence in their lives, once again filled the airwaves, and they tuned in, grappling with the harsh reality of their current situation.

"Guess what," he paused for dramatically, "There's only 20 of you right now. One down. It's sad because my watchers are not the culprit. Maybe one of you betrayed your member, isn't it? What a life of survival, isn't it fun?" he declared, the sinister amusement evident in his laughter.

"What's that all about? Of course, one of his allies killed Haechan!" Renjun said, his tone filled with frustration.

"That freak, man. What's with the word betraying?" Chenle added, echoing the sentiment of anger.

Mark remained silent, observing Jeno and Jaemin, who hadn't spoken and had silently left the room.

Feeling the need to distract himself, Mark headed to the storage room, hoping to immerse himself in creating a new device and momentarily forget the painful events of the previous night. As he roamed the room, he noticed the five guns on the table. Something caught his eye - a missing bullet from the revolver.

A surge of unsettling thoughts flooded Mark's mind. What if Eros was right? What if there truly was a traitor among them? His fists clenched as he grappled with the possibilities. Then, a suspicion emerged - Jeno and Jaemin, the two who had been with him and Haechan the night before. Mark's gaze shifted to Jeno, realizing that Jaemin wasn't present when the gunshot rang out.